World Suicide Prevention Day: Worrying Statistics in Australia, New Zealand

Today is World Suicide Prevention Day, and data from both Australia and New Zealand show concerning trends.
Suicide Prevention Australia is pleading with the government to prioritise suicide prevention after it revealed one in four Australians aged between 18 and 24 had serious thoughts of suicide in the past year.
The online survey polled just over 1,050 adults between Aug. 1 and 5, 2024.
Three in four adults also reported higher-than-normal levels of distress, up slightly compared to a year ago.
The number of men who experienced suicidal behaviour rose slightly to 15 percent compared to May but “promisingly,” it had still dropped four percentage points since August 2023, the organisation said.
The cost of living, personal debt, and job security are driving the increases, with around half of all adults surveyed citing one or more of these factors as a reason.
Family and relationship breakdowns influenced 24 percent, with a similar number blaming housing access and affordability. Unemployment and job security were a concern for 22 percent, as were social isolation and loneliness.
Young people were more likely to be negatively influenced by unemployment, housing, social media, self-image, and bullying.
According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 12.3 Australians per 100,000 died by suicide in 2022.
In New Zealand that same year, the rate was 10.6. However, Māori males had a notably higher rate of 24.6 per 100,000 in 2022, and had reported the worst results since 2008.
Similarly, preliminary 2022 data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) indicate that the rate of suicide among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is approximately two and a half times higher compared with non-Indigenous Australians.
In both countries, the latest data shows men are still more likely than women to take their own lives.
In New Zealand, the rate of suspected self-inflicted deaths for males was 15.2 per 100,000 males, while for women it was 6.0 per 100,000 females. In Australia, the rates were 18.8 versus 5.9 respectively.
In New Zealand today, the group MATES in Construction released a report, based on Official Information Act requests to Coronial Services, that 80 people working in the construction sector are suspected or confirmed to have died by suicide last year—the highest on record.
And the number has been steadily rising: from 38 cases in 2019 to 61 deaths in 2020, 79 in 2021, and 77 in 2022.
It noted specific mental health vulnerabilities among 15 to 24-year-olds and Māori workers, but the common factors across all groups in the industry—including blue-collar, white-collar, and migrant workers—were financial instability, poor communication, a culture of “old-school masculinity,” low pay, job insecurity, and insufficient mental health support.
It found that an average of 78 serving or ex-serving Australian Defence Force members have died by suicide each year for the past 10 years.
It noted that: “The rate of suicide among serving and ex-serving ADF members has persisted over time … For males serving in the permanent forces [it] was 13.9 per 100,000 population per year [between] 1997 to 99, and 14.4 per 100,000 population per year [between] 2019 to 21.
“The suicide rate for ex-serving males was 26 per 100,000 population per year [between] 2005 and 07, and 28.4 per 100,000 population per year [between] 2019 and 21.”
The seven-volume report includes 122 recommendations, including the establishment of a new entity to oversee systemic reforms across the ADF, improved support for all recruits in training “to build resilience and embed help-seeking behaviours” and “measures to reduce the frequency of relocation.”
It also proposes having an inspector-general’s inquiry into all deaths of serving Defence Force members “unless suicide can be excluded as the cause of death.”
Marles later said the government will need time to review the report but would “support the thrust of the recommendations.”
“We absolutely are committed to making sure that this Royal Commission makes a difference and that its recommendations last,” he said.